Just switched from fitbit to AW4 not sure I have it set up right?

flyinion
flyinion Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I expected some calorie adjustment differences mostly because I've always heard FitBit is way too generous. Yesterday was my first full day with the AW4 for tracking and it was a day where Fitbit would probably give me about 3-400 extra calories. I got 37 from Apple. I caught this thread here https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10702015/apple-watch-iphone-x-active-energy-calories#latest and it sounds like I might need to be adding "active calories" or something to MFP but I'm not sure how to do that? If it helps with the answer, my current based calories for 1lb/week loss on MFP are 1690. Yesterday the Health app said my "resting energy" was 2024, active or "move calories" was 406. Should I be adding that 406 manually somehow? how do I go about doing that?

Replies

  • flyinion
    flyinion Posts: 18 Member
    Also if I go into the exercise tab on the website this is the info on the calorie adjustment for yesterday......

    MFP iOS Calories Burned
    Full Day Projection
    (Based on 42 calories burned as of 10:01 pm) 2232
    MyFitnessPal Calories Burned
    2190
    MFP iOS Calorie Adjustment
    42
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Turn off negative calorie adjustments, set a general activity level on MFP, import only deliberate exercise cals.

    Other than that you got some reading to do: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10702015/apple-watch-iphone-x-active-energy-calories
  • flyinion
    flyinion Posts: 18 Member
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    Turn off negative calorie adjustments, set a general activity level on MFP, import only deliberate exercise cals.

    Other than that you got some reading to do: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10702015/apple-watch-iphone-x-active-energy-calories

    Yeah I read that but it was clear as mud to me. I'm not really sure what to do. I'm assuming the extra 3-500 calories FitBit was adjusting was way over (especially since eating on average like half those I have lost maybe 1/2 a pound a week if that many weeks when set to 1lb/week in MFP)
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    You just gotta throw out anything about how Fitbit did things, you have an Apple Watch now.

    I'll try and keep it simple but here's how it goes.

    You have a number called BMR, which is the calories you burn during one day completely at rest. It is guesstimated by age, height and weight. MFP takes its best guess at this and adds to it a small amount of calories that it expects you to burn during the day based on how active you told it you are. These are called your NEAT calories. Your BMR + NEAT calories is called TDEE and it is the calorie goal MFP gives to you. If you work out deliberately you can also add those to raise your TDEE number.

    So to the Apple Watch. Your Move calories, the red ring, that add up during the day are NEAT as well as deliberate exercise calories. To get your calorie allowance for the day, you just need to add those to your BMR.

    BUT MFP and Apple Watch don't work well together, so you have to work around the fact that you can't make MFP take in your Move calories throughout the day. So you can either:

    1. Set your MFP calorie goal manually to your BMR (which you guesstimate with the help of a hundred calculators online) and throughout the day, update MFP also manually with your Move calories as they accrue.

    2. Via the guided setup, allow MFP to assign you its usual estimate of BMR + NEAT, and synch (good news, you can do this) your deliberate exercise calories only.

    In both instances, negative calorie adjustments in MFP should be OFF.

    The first will get you the most accurate day to day allowance, but you're stuck manually updating the numbers. The second will suffice for most people who work a pretty regular day job and do deliberate exercise outside of it.

    Third option, use an app that has better integration.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    If you get the hang of it, and after you have a month or so's worth of data, you can math out what AW thinks your BMR is and use that for even greater accuracy.
  • flyinion
    flyinion Posts: 18 Member
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    You just gotta throw out anything about how Fitbit did things, you have an Apple Watch now.

    I'll try and keep it simple but here's how it goes.

    You have a number called BMR, which is the calories you burn during one day completely at rest. It is guesstimated by age, height and weight. MFP takes its best guess at this and adds to it a small amount of calories that it expects you to burn during the day based on how active you told it you are. These are called your NEAT calories. Your BMR + NEAT calories is called TDEE and it is the calorie goal MFP gives to you. If you work out deliberately you can also add those to raise your TDEE number.

    So to the Apple Watch. Your Move calories, the red ring, that add up during the day are NEAT as well as deliberate exercise calories. To get your calorie allowance for the day, you just need to add those to your BMR.

    BUT MFP and Apple Watch don't work well together, so you have to work around the fact that you can't make MFP take in your Move calories throughout the day. So you can either:

    1. Set your MFP calorie goal manually to your BMR (which you guesstimate with the help of a hundred calculators online) and throughout the day, update MFP also manually with your Move calories as they accrue.

    2. Via the guided setup, allow MFP to assign you its usual estimate of BMR + NEAT, and synch (good news, you can do this) your deliberate exercise calories only.

    In both instances, negative calorie adjustments in MFP should be OFF.

    The first will get you the most accurate day to day allowance, but you're stuck manually updating the numbers. The second will suffice for most people who work a pretty regular day job and do deliberate exercise outside of it.

    Third option, use an app that has better integration.

    Ok thanks so much for the breakdown. That make more sense now. I think I was seeing all that in that other thread but not condensed in one spot where it could make sense. I was debating a different app, but no idea where to go there. I'll try it the option 2 way for now and see how it goes.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    That's what I did for years and it was fine, I lost all my 40lbs that way. I branched out recently for the fun/change of it and Lifesum does a decent job fwiw.
  • flyinion
    flyinion Posts: 18 Member
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    That's what I did for years and it was fine, I lost all my 40lbs that way. I branched out recently for the fun/change of it and Lifesum does a decent job fwiw.

    Thanks, I'll take a look and see. I've heard of that one before but never looked.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Have you used the workout setting on the watch yet? I use it for things other than walking, where it can’t calculate steps. Like Pilates, lifting, calisthenics.
  • flyinion
    flyinion Posts: 18 Member
    nowine4me wrote: »
    Have you used the workout setting on the watch yet? I use it for things other than walking, where it can’t calculate steps. Like Pilates, lifting, calisthenics.

    I haven't yet. I've been having chronic back pain after injuring it 2 years ago and it's really sidelined all exercise. I used to do a lot of walking, hiking, etc. and haven't done anything. So I've just been tracking calories to try and keep losing the last 45lbs I was after. Only have about 20 to go, down 90 since I started 3 years ago.

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